Other than Dawn Staley, what WNBA stars have become successful college head coaches, especially as their first coaching job?

Cynthia Cooper had success at her first school - Prairie View A&M. Conference standing - [T-8th, T-1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd]. Her next two stops were only two years and one year, but her conference records were good - [T-2nd, T-4th, 1st]. At USC she won the PAC-12 tournament with her predecessors recruits her first year, but her conference standing was worse each year for four years. I assume reflecting poor recruiting, in addition to injuries her final year.

All of that is great, but can she recruit? That's job one, two, three and four in college basketball.

She's Lindsay Whalen...

I don't know if it's possible to overstate what that means in Minnesota, and in recruiting Minnesota (and other regional) girls.

Regionally that is all that matters, her legend sells itself. Nationally, we will see. But being able to get the top local girls will put the Gophers ahead of the game for once.

She probably has much less influence with high school girl basketball players than she does with Lynx fans. ClayK (maybe the only person who coaches high school basketball here) says that high school players don't follow the WNBA. If they follow the colleges they are considering for playing at, Whalen would have pre-dated their interest.

The top prep prospect in the state, regardless of class, is Hopkins sophomore guard Paige Bueckers, who ranks as ESPN’s No. 6 overall player in 2020.

Bueckers, who has a scholarship offer from UConn, is too young for Whalen to contact right now, but the Gophers likely have a better shot at landing her having a local legend as their coach.

“It’s a great hire,” said Bueckers’ high school coach, Brian Cosgriff, rattling off Whalen’s high school, college, WNBA and Olympic accolades. “How much better are you going to do? I’m glad they did it quickly because it’s a big recruiting season, and it’s coming soon.”

Cosgriff didn’t want to speculate how much Whalen’s presence means to Bueckers’ college decision.

“It’s not going to hurt, I can tell you that,” he said. “I think she kind of changed the face of Minnesota basketball, I really do. There’s really not much more she can do [as a player]. I think it’s a great hire.”

Quote:

"Recruiting is going to be the biggest thing with her,” said Rachel Banham, the Gophers’ all-time leading scorer. “Being a Minnesota kid and playing for the Lynx, every single person is going to know her and what she did. That already gives her one up on anybody who is going to recruit Minnesota kids. I think kids are going to get excited. How cool is that to play for Lindsay Whalen? Just saying that is awesome. I think if I was in high school and she offered me I would immediately say, ‘Yes.’ ”

All of that is great, but can she recruit? That's job one, two, three and four in college basketball.

She's Lindsay Whalen...

I don't know if it's possible to overstate what that means in Minnesota, and in recruiting Minnesota (and other regional) girls.

Regionally that is all that matters, her legend sells itself. Nationally, we will see. But being able to get the top local girls will put the Gophers ahead of the game for once.

She probably has much less influence with high school girl basketball players than she does with Lynx fans. ClayK (maybe the only person who coaches high school basketball here) says that high school players don't follow the WNBA. If they follow the colleges they are considering for playing at, Whalen would have pre-dated their interest.

The top prep prospect in the state, regardless of class, is Hopkins sophomore guard Paige Bueckers, who ranks as ESPN’s No. 6 overall player in 2020.

Bueckers, who has a scholarship offer from UConn, is too young for Whalen to contact right now, but the Gophers likely have a better shot at landing her having a local legend as their coach.

“It’s a great hire,” said Bueckers’ high school coach, Brian Cosgriff, rattling off Whalen’s high school, college, WNBA and Olympic accolades. “How much better are you going to do? I’m glad they did it quickly because it’s a big recruiting season, and it’s coming soon.”

Cosgriff didn’t want to speculate how much Whalen’s presence means to Bueckers’ college decision.

“It’s not going to hurt, I can tell you that,” he said. “I think she kind of changed the face of Minnesota basketball, I really do. There’s really not much more she can do [as a player]. I think it’s a great hire.”

Quote:

"Recruiting is going to be the biggest thing with her,” said Rachel Banham, the Gophers’ all-time leading scorer. “Being a Minnesota kid and playing for the Lynx, every single person is going to know her and what she did. That already gives her one up on anybody who is going to recruit Minnesota kids. I think kids are going to get excited. How cool is that to play for Lindsay Whalen? Just saying that is awesome. I think if I was in high school and she offered me I would immediately say, ‘Yes.’ ”

The male coach may be more excited than any of his players, but if Banham says high school girls will all know her and want to play for her - and that is true on both counts - then my assumption is wrong and that bodes well for Whalen and Minnesota. Although I think a top player of the USA Basketball team member and "people are talking about on college boards" ilk, will still have "where can I win a championship and they want me and I can also get playing time" as their top criteria.

One other factor with regard to "keeping in-state talent" is that, while you see players like Skylar Diggins wanting to stay very close to home, you will hear players say that they wanted to go to a college that was outside their home area (sometimes said as "close, but not too close to home"). 64% of the Minnesota population lives in the metro area of the University of Minnesota. But I don't know how common "wanting to get away from home" is for college students.

Shades, no attempt to troll anyone ... I don't know much about Minnesota's talent pool except that North Tartan is a strong AAU program and the high schools can't travel much.

From Banham's quote, it would seem that the elite players in Minnesota will be well aware of Whalen, and it will be a significant recruiting advantage. Whether that in-state advantage will offset her lack of experience and limited recruiting time in the summer, from what I'm reading in this thread, is hard to say.

But Whalen is a winner, no question, and has gotten pretty much all she could out of her talent, so it's fair to speculate that she will do the same as a coach.

Getting Paige Bueckers would seem to be important, as she is a national level player. Few states/regions produce that kind of talent on a consistent basis, and getting the ones that do emerge to stay home is crucial. For example, if Cal had kept Ionescu instead of losing her to Oregon, how different are those two programs right now? The same can be said elsewhere, I'm sure, but that one jumps into my mind pretty quickly.

It would be great for Minnesota and the sport if Whalen succeeds -- and as pointed out, there's no good reason not to roll the dice.

Terrible hire, IMO! Tina has 0 HC experience, minimal AC experience(and the team she was an AC for never resembled the talent they had on their roster), and she has 0 ties to the East Coast. Good luck to her and I hope she returns UVa to their past status as a WCBB power, but I see this one as a major reach.

Let T.T. earn that head coaching money. Give her the opportunity to sink or swim. She can become the next Pat Summit or Geno. The only way a person will learn how to drive a car is to get behind the steering wheel and drive.

Terrible hire, IMO! Tina has 0 HC experience, minimal AC experience(and the team she was an AC for never resembled the talent they had on their roster), and she has 0 ties to the East Coast. Good luck to her and I hope she returns UVa to their past status as a WCBB power, but I see this one as a major reach.

Who would you have picked instead?

I thought it was all but Tonya Cardoza’s job - but Carla Williams is the new AD and committed to women’s basketball.

Intriguing hire and I like it the more I think about it. Curious if she keeps LaKeshia Frett on the staff - she’s got a good core coming back from a top
30 NCAA team, too, not to mention a 6’9 player who is improving drastically in her game.

Terrible hire, IMO! Tina has 0 HC experience, minimal AC experience(and the team she was an AC for never resembled the talent they had on their roster), and she has 0 ties to the East Coast. Good luck to her and I hope she returns UVa to their past status as a WCBB power, but I see this one as a major reach.

I have been watching the board about the last 3 hires.So many people up in arms about Tina Thompson getting the UVA job.She does not have any HC experience but she been a assistant for the last three years.Also before that she Coaching on AAU circuit with AD elite in Texas.So she has been working toward her goal for the last 5 years.
Now everybody think Whalen is a great hire.I have a questions what has done to prepare for the job.No outrage about Whalen hire.Ethridge should got the Tech job.

I agree with Allen ... there's a huge difference between spending three years as an assistant at a P5 program, paying your dues, and traveling the summer circuit as a coach, and never having coached at all at any level.

Of course, Whalen could succeed spectacularly and Thompson could fail, but insofar as experience matters, Thompson has a major advantage.

Marisa Moseley '04, a standout on Boston University's 2003 NCAA Tournament team and a nine-year assistant coach at UConn, has returned to Commonwealth Avenue to become the Terriers' head coach of women's basketball

_________________Marlene watches from the wall
Her mocking smile says it all
As she records the rise and fall
Of every soldier passing